In the past, it has been a common practice to mount various types of resilient textured liners on the inside surface of a concrete form for the forming of decorative wall surfaces in the finished structure. Various surfacing texture is provided as a negative impression in the liner so that the finished concrete surface will have a pleasing aesthetic effect. One effect that is desirable in some concrete wall structures is the actual appearance of brick which makes the wall look like a true masonry structure.
The construction of a real brick wall is quite intricate as well as expensive. It takes a skilled brick layer to be able to lay brick aligned and in even courses to create a pleasing appearance and effect. The ability to combine these two types of construction, the laying of brick as well as the forming of a concrete wall, has been found to be in some ways, practical and yet, difficult to actually accomplish. There have been attempts to get around this problem by simulating the appearance of brick in total concrete construction. To do this, a concrete form liner is produced in a negative pattern so that when the wall is finished, it has the appearance of brick, but is actually totally formed from concrete. To carry the illusion even further, some people attempt to paint the surface of the concrete "brick" a brick color leaving the brick joint the natural concrete color so as to duplicate the look of real brick units in the wall.
In many cases, this type of simulated brick construction is unsatisfactory because it does not provide on architecturally satisfactory appearance of real brick or masonry construction. In order to better accomplish this task, there have been attempts to mount the real, full-size brick in small racks in staggered row relationship so that a construction panel having the appearance of a brick wall can be fabricated. With the bricks held in this position a concrete backing is then poured around the brick to surround and embed the bricks and hold them in proper position. In this way, a small brick-appearing concrete panel is produced which is extremely heavy and awkward to handle. These panels are then stacked to form a wall or other structure. One problem that is encountered in this method of construction is that the mortar which flows along the sides of the bricks does not always form an even composition or fill the voids and therefore, does not provide a true brick appearance. In addition, the handling of the brick panels is difficult and cumbersome which often results in broken bricks or separation in the joints between the panels.
To overcome the problems which presently exist, the applicant has found a new and novel way to combine the elastomeric form liner arrangement for forming a concrete wall or structure and include strategically placed and located real bricks or brick pavers in the outer finished surface.
A major problem which has occurred in the use of a liner in this type of construction is that when the form is positioned vertically, the pavers or actual bricks having varying dimensions are not held securely in the liner and in many cases fall from the liner to the bottom of the form leaving a void or spaced in the surface of the wall which necessitates the removal of a portion of the hardened concrete and the hand placement of a replacement brick to fill the void. Naturally, this repair and replacement takes considerable time and effort to accomplish and substantially increases the cost of construction. Another problem which exists during the pouring of the wall, is that the vibrators which are used during the pouring process also cause the bricks to become dislodged. This again creates the voids which are mentioned above and necessitates repairs.
It would be far better if it were possible to secure the bricks or brick pavers in the form liner so that none of them will be dislodged either prior to or during the pouring of the concrete. At the same time, it is necessary to be able to hold or retain the brick or brick pavers in the form liner so that the support structure will not show in the finished surface and help to form the mortar joint between the bricks while the form liner can be stripped from the forms and the retainer can be broken back at the surface of the concrete leaving no blemish or indication that the retainer existed. By the same token, it is necessary that the retainer for holding the brick in place during the forming process does not impede the removal of the form itself from the structure once the concrete has set.